Strengthening the foundation of educational psychology by integrating construct validation into open science reform

Abstract

Abstract An increased focus on transparency and replication in science has stimulated reform in research practices and dissemination. As a result, the research culture is changing: the use of preregistration is on the rise, access to data and materials is increasing, and large-scale replication studies are more common. In this article, I discuss two problems the methodological reform movement is now ready to tackle given the progress thus far and how educational psychology is particularly well suited to contribute. The first problem is that there is a lack of transparency and rigor in measurement development and use. The second problem is caused by the first—replication research is difficult and potentially futile as long as the first problem persists. I describe how to expand transparent practices into measure use and how construct validation can be implemented to bolster the validity of replication studies.